Principals Decry Loss Of Funding, Local Control Under Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker

August 10, 2015Matt KullingJournal Sentinel

In a letter addressed to Gov. Scott Walker and state legislators, 35 principals from southern Wisconsin have decried state budget measures they say underfund education and wrest local control from districts. Some area superintendents had been outspoken about the need for adequate education funding during state budget negotiations this spring.

But the joint letter from high school principals underscores concerns — at the school building level — about the reduced power of school boards to control issues such as curriculum and funding. The principals from high schools such as Waukesha North, Waukesha West, Arrowhead, Oconomowoc, Pardeeville, Milton and Lake Mills said they’re concerned about how changes passed under Walker forcing schools to compete will result in more segregation. The model will result in an exclusionary system between the “haves and have nots,” they wrote.